Vending-machine.



S. U. GILBERT.

r VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1913.

- Patented r.'14,'1914.

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v b 526022 [films/"Z I I 3 BY ATTORNEYS -s. 0. GILBERT. VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1913.

" 1 092319 Patented Apr. 14, 1914;

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745 F 5 3/ i I 4 m I Z6 I WITNESSES l/VI/E/VTUR ATTORNEYS 57 I Jane; 6. awe/ W (9/ h N SIDNEY C. GILBERT, 0F NEWBERN, NORTH CAROLINA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

JUIWQJEWS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY t). GILBERT, a. citizen of the United States, and a resident of N ewbern, in the county of Craven and State. of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Vending-Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact. description.

My invention relates to coin-controlled vending machines, and particularly to machines for vending peanuts in packages.

It is a design of my invention to provide an improved machine of the indicated character having a series of separate units, including carrying members and driven elements for actuating said members.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to make use of endless conveyers as the carriers, and sprocket wheeis or equivalent actuating elements. A rive is provided, which desirably consists of a master wheel having a step-by-step movement controlled by an automatic stop and release, the functioning of the parts depending on the insertion of a coin, which in the illustrated example is made to close an electric circuit governing the stop and release of the drive. The drive is arranged to directly drive one of the units, and the units are provided with means whereby one unit, after it has discharged its merchandise, will actuate the next succeeding unit; 1' a The distinguishing features of, the invention, and the important structural elements characterizing the preferred embodiment which is illustratedas an example, will be more particularly explained in the specific description hereinafter to be given. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of referonce indicate corresponding parts in all the views. 7 g p e Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a vending machine. embodying my invention ,Fig. 2 is a horizontal-section; Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section, is'a fragmcntary plan view on an enlarged scale, given to illustrate the'mcans whereby one unit will actuate the succeeding unit;'and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the parts in position with the units in engagement with each other so that one will actuate the other.

ln constructing a machine of the illus- Specification ofiLetters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1913.

' of the master 'of a druml'? on which winds a cord 18 Patented a e. it, ieia. Serial N0. 759,623-

trated form, a suitable casing 10 is provided to contain the mechanism and the merchandise, said casing in practice, being of a size to accommodate any approved heating or roasting means, as is customary in machines of this general character. l/Vithin the housmg is a frame supporting the movable parts, which frame may consist of side bars 11 and transverse end rods or shafts 12, 12, the said frame bars having suitable means, such as brackets 11", to sustain the frame within the which may have down-turned flanges 16*secured to the sides of the casin 10.

The step-by-step drive deslrably consists of a master wheel 17, the hub 17 of which, at one side, is integral with the adjacent drive sprocket 14 and at the opposite side wheel the hub is in the form which passes over an idler 18 and carries a weight 19, whereby to rotate the master wheel and drive the adjacent drive sprocket 14. The step-'by-step movement is given to the master wheel 17, and this may be effected by producing notches 20 in said wheel to re ceive one arm 21 of a dog, the other arm 22 of which is under the influence of a retractile spring 23, normally tending to engage the arm 21 in a notch 20. The mentioned arm 22 constitutes an armature of a solenoid 24 arranged in an electric circuit 25 having one terminal contact 26 spaced from the coin chute 27 constituting the other terminal contact, the circuit being adapted to be closed by the passage of a coin 28 down the said chute and past the contact 26. The momentary closing of the circuit withdraws the arm 21 out of engagement with the notched master wheel 17, and permits the said wheel to rotate under the influence of the weight 19 until the next notch is reached, previous to which the circuit will be broken and the armature 22 retracted by the spring 23 to engage the arm 21 in the next notch 20.

The rotation of the wheel 17 will have actuated the adjacent driven sprocket 14 and advanced "the chain sufliciently to have discharged a package A of peanuts or other merchandise. charged its complement of packages it will engage and actuate the next succeeding unit made during the total conveying movements of the chain. Thus the projection 29 will be brought to the back of the projection 30 and will have snapped beneath a resilient catch 31, in the form of a curved arm on that driven sprocket 14 bearing the projection 30. Thus the end of the projection 29 will-be securely held between the projection 30 and the co-acting catch 31. Upon the next movement of the master wheel 17 the unit bearing the projection 29 will drive the adjacent unit bearing the projection 30, as will be obvious, and after the second unit has discharged all its packages it will in turn actuate the next succeeding unit.

The capacity of the machine depends on the length of the individual units and on the number of the units. Between each of the described units may advantageously be arranged vertical partitions 32 for guiding the packages and preventing them 'from becoming accidentally displaced. The packages are deposited in succession in the delivery trough 33, which opens at the front of the machine. A door 34 aifords access to, the interior of the machine, additional doors being provided in practice, if desired, and similarly, the top 10% of the casing may be removed when required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent I 1. A vending machine, comprising a SGIIBS of units each having a driven element and a merchandise carrier actuated thereby, means on the units to actuate one by another after a predetermined movement ofa unit, and a drive means for the units.

2. A vending machine, comprising a series of units each having a driven element and a merchandise carrier actuated thereby, means on the units to engage and actuate one by another after a predetermined move ment of a unit,'and a step-by-step drive for the units.

After the first unit has dis- 3. A vending machine having a series of units, and a drive therefor, saidunits having devices by which'one unit-will engage and actuate another after it' 'lia'sj discharged itsmerchandise.

4. A vending machine having a series of units, a drive therefor, said units having devices by. which one unit willengage and actuate another, and means for holding said engaging'devices in engagement.

5. A vending machine comprising a drive,

a series of units each having a rotary driven element and a traveling merchandise-carrier actuated by said. driven element, and devices on the said rotary driven elements to establish actuating engagement of one unit with another after one has discharged its merchandise.

6. A vending machine, comprising a drive, a series of units each having a rotary driven element and a traveling mechandisecarrier actuated by saiddriven elements, devices on the" said rotary driven elements, to establish actuating engagement one with another after one has discharged its merchandise, and ,a latch on each unit to hold the mentioned actuating devices of the 'rotary driven elements in engagement.

7. A vending machine, comprising a drive including a master wheel, a series of units having sprocket chains and driven sprockets, oppositely-extending project-ions on the side faces of the driven sprockets of adjacent units adapted for engagement with.

each other, and means for giving the master wheel a step-by-step movement, said master wheel having driving connection with the sprocket wheel of an adjacent unit.

8. A vending machine comprising a plurality of carrying units, driving means therefor, and means for establishing actuating engagement with thecarrying units in succession, each of said units having initial travel to discharge its merchandise before actuating the next unit.

9. A vending machine, comprising a plu-- rality of carrying units having members mounted to travel, a step-by-step advancing means for the units, and means for estab lishing actuating engagement with the carrying units in succession.

10. A vending machine, comprising a plurality of carrying units having members mounted to travel, and each unit being adapted to receive separately as series of articles to be vended, a step-by-step advancing means to cause a unit to deliver merchandise, and means for establishing actuating engagement with another carrying unit upon one unit completing the discharge of its merchandise.

11. A vending machine, comprising aseries-of separate carrying units, each mounted totravel, driving means for actuating the first unit, and co-acting means on the units adapted to engage each other to cause one to actuate another after a predetermined travel. I

12. A vending machine, comprising a series of separate carrying units having members mounted to have longitudinal travel and revolving actuating devices, and co-acting means on the adjacent revolving devices to actuate one or another in succession.

13. A vending machine, comprising a se- 'ries of separate carrying units each mounted to travel, and means on the units for actuating one unit b another in succession after the discharge 0 the goods by the unit, the said carrying devices of the units consisting of sprocket chains, and the said driving 1 means consisting of sprocket wheels, a

driven master wheel having notches, a pivoted dog, a spring normally tending'to engage the dog with the notched master wheel,

and means for disengaging the dog.

14. A vending machine, comprisln a series of traveling conveyers having riving means for said conveyers,'a platform below the upper stretch of the eonveyers, partitions rising from the platform and separatin the conveyers from each other and forming guiding walls for the merchandise, and means for giving a step-by-step movement to the drive means of the conveyers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY c. GILBERT.

Witnesses:

JOHN ROBBINS,

DANIEL L. Lewis. 

